Stealie

Here's a mat for Jim Freeman.

As you may have guessed, Jim is something of a Grateful Dead fan and he came with a pretty clear idea of what he wanted. An RB-JMC Super-free-breather with negative elastic rocker and a bungee. He also had some pretty intricate acid dye work in mind.

You might remember I recently posted a mat called Pinliner trying out a new method of creating boundaries with sealants? Well now you know why I tried that out.

Preparation is everything.

I asked Jim a bit about his matsurfing journey and he said:

“I started “lying down on the job” around 60 after breaking a hip. Have a wonderful mat guru in Steiny who showed me the ropes. Got hooked. Been lusting after RB-JMC after the viral Andrew Buck video. I love the Grateful Dead and put “Stealie’s” (Steal your Face) logos on my boards so when G was up to that challenge….”

— Jim Freeman

We're both pretty pleased with how Stealie has come out. I was a little anxious about using the Grateful Dead artwork but a quick Google showed that they are pretty casual on that. Nonetheless I felt uncomfortable taking money for their design so did the Stealie logo gratis.

Despite his Instagram handle @jimmy_cant_surf Jim is a decent matsurfer and I can't wait to hear how he goes with Stealie.

Have fun Jim!

Cheers

G

Pinliner - Trying New Things

TRAVELLING BACK IN TIME!!!

No... Not really but the eagle eyed among you might notice that the numbering on this mat is out of sync. The reason for this is that I number mats as I design them and this one was designed a while back and then other things took priority.

So what's the deal here? Well this mat is a bit of a prototype. It's a 70/70 RB-JMC super-free-breather with neg rocker, but with a much squarer tail. The RB-JMC design has a squarer tail then nose anyway, but this mat has that taken to an extreme. The squarer tail of the RB-JMC releases more readily giving less drag, thus more speed. This also encourages the tail to drop slightly allowing the mat to sit in its naturally faster position on the high line. This mat is taking that concept to its extreme to test its limits.

I have actually already built one for Andrew Stephen Buck and he has surfed it once. The feedback is that it might be too much with the hard corner possibly inviting cavitation but as Andrew said himself, one surf isn't enough. Also I really believe that as a builder it is important to test designs myself to get live feedback.I have left space between the end of the grip and the corners on both Buck's mat and mine to re-shape the tail if this really doesn't work.

The other part of this experiment is the aesthetic. I have had an idea about using sealant pinlines and stenciled designs to create a barrier for acid dye. Hard edges are pretty much impossible with acid dye on nylon. When I got an order for an intricate design (that one's on the way) it was obvious that it was time to try it out. Not really "pin" lines on this mat but I had the idea for a name in mind as tribute to the legend of Moonlight Glassing, Peter St Pierre who's internet handle was "Pinliner". My efforts are not a patch on anything Pete does so maybe more of an insult. Sorry mate!

Anyway, Pinliner is going to be my new mat. Whether this new iteration is what I stick with or I just reweld the tail back to what already ain't broke will have to be seen.

Cheers

G

Selin

Say hello to Selin, an RB-JMC for the mat obsessed Helen Derici.

Helen and her partner Gary Villa have been riding mats for some time to the point that they are now fully off-board. Helen has been riding a G-Mat 5 Star General but has been envious of Gary’s RB-JMC. With that in mind, Gary hit me up for a bit of extra-curricular mat building and over a rainy weekend of flat surf in early summer I cracked on.

That all makes it sound pretty simple. The reality was that this being a custom build, Gary had to get body measurements from Helen to send to me to scale the mat. He also had to find out what Helen would be calling her custom mat in the future in the event that she happened to get one as there was no way on earth that I was breaking the rule that no custom mat leaves my workshop unnamed! Not an easy thing to do without giving the game away! Well done Gary!

Anyway with that in mind Selin (a female Turkish name meaning Strong Flowing Water) was born. I haven’t posted anything before because she was built well in advance of Helen’s birthday which was yesterday (happy birthday Helen!!!) and we needed to keep things schtoom.

So a bit more info. Selin is an RB-JMC as mentioned. A 70/70 wheezer with free elastic rocker to give a good transition from the 200/70 5 Star General. Feedback from Helen after a birthday surf is that Selin feels completely different to the 5 Star General and flies!

I love it when a plan comes together!!!

Anyway, great to finally see Helen on the mat. Have fun, as always!

Cheers

G

San B

Here's a mat named San-B built for Nicolas Wolken. Many of you may know Nico already as a professional snowboarder, Patagonia Ambassador and co-founder of Korua Shapes snowboards. As well as being a hugely talented snowboarder, he is an excellent surfer and has developed a love for the mat.

Nico says:

“I grew up in the Swiss Alps with snowboarding as a big influence, but my interest in surfing was sparked when my Australian Grandma sent me and my brothers a surfing VHS. Although I pretty much only got to surf during summer vacations. I’ve always been in to activities that offer a different sensation from snowboarding so I liked climbing and when I saw the movie “Come hell or high water” by Chris Malloy, it really got me interested in body surfing.

I spent a couple of summers trying to figure it out which was a blast. Then a few years ago I met Rasta at a Patagonia Ambassador summit in California. I already admired his board surfing and saw him ride a surf mat. The waves were small but long and he was just flying down the line having the best time. I couldn’t believe my eyes, the speed he generated just blew my mind! He was getting the best and longest waves jumping over people! He actually let me and others have a go but I didn’t get it instantly. However after witnessing his surfing I knew I had to figure this out as it looked so fun!”

— Nicolas Wolken

Since then Nico has scored a couple of mats, most recently a G-Mat RFT which he has ridden a few times now and has become his favourite ride. He had already got on the list for a custom when he bought the RFT so was already clear on what he wanted... Something for the juice! A Nouveau Racer was the obvious choice and is a perfect quiver mate for the RFT.

Nico was keen on a mat that cuts-back into the pocket and turns off the bottom so we went for positive elastic rocker. The internal venting is restricted to make San-B more wheezy which along with the 200d deck will keep the mat relatively stable when things get hectic!

As for the colour... A nod to snow and the Yin to the RFTs Yang.

I'm looking forward to seeing what goes on with Nico and San-B. Have fun!

Cheers

G

Sandpiper

Say hello to G-Mat 270 (AKA "Sandpiper"), a 200/70 Ute built for Sam Arkinstall.

Sam is a UK based surfer who is fairly new to mats but he is friends with Ethan Greenwood who has been riding mats for a few years now so it was only a matter of time.

Sam came with a clear colour scheme in mind for his mat so I had to crack out the dye. Lighter colours like those towards the tail can often be a bit fickle but I think we've got away with it!

I asked Sam about his journey into mats. He said:

“My journey in to mats started with my friend Ethan who introduced me to it. I had never seen or heard about it before. I was definitely sceptical about it at first , then when I used a mat for the first time the feeling of riding a wave was very different to any form of surfing I have done before!

It’s nice for me because I can add another Watersport to my quiver as already windsurf, surf, paddleboard, sail and wakeboard. I like to think I am an all round waterman, so I have a water sport for near enough every weather condition.

My go to places are usually Crooklets or Widemouth but recently moved to North Devon so been exploring some spots round there.

There’s not much meaning behind the name really. basically went on a long google search around Monterey bay as that’s where the colour scheme derives from, and found there was a movie called Sandpiper filmed there and though it sounded cool.”

— Sam Arkinstall

I was stoked to build a mat named Sandpiper myself as it was my Dad's CB Radio handle when I was a kid!

So back to this Sandpiper, as I say we have gone with a 200/70 free-breather. This offers stability in the deck so the mat maintains it's shape more readily which will be useful for Sam as he develops as a mat rider whilst maintaining the ability to morph responsively to the wave and rider input. Sam has gone for a free elastic rocker for versatility.

Have fun Sam. I hope we get to share some waves one day.

Cheers

G

Tximista

How do pirates know that they're pirates? They think therefore they ARRRRGH! (There's a lot wrong with Descartes but that's a solid gag).

Anyway, say hello to Tximista, an RB-JMC built for French all round waterman Benoit Moreau. For those unaware, Benoit absolutely charges riding a range of craft including mats and I am stoked to see him on one of my creations. A few years ago, Benoit lost an arm in an accident which brings some challenges to mat riding that he overcomes seemingly effortlessly. I asked him about his journey into mat surfing. Here's what he said:

“I arrived in the world of the surfmat thanks to my good friend Régis who has been practicing it diligently for a very very long time. Before my accident I practiced the bodyboard, it was unfortunately very complicated since. And then one day I tested the surfmat and the sensations were incredible. This machine is literally dedicated to giving you pleasure. There are never bad surfmat sessions. And since then I always have a surfmat with me whether at home or abroad. And I’ve never been disappointed with that . From very hollow shorebreak going through a reef beeak like in Makaha or on very soft and bumpy mellow waves where we always have the banana.”

— Benoit Moreau

Well Tximista is certainly a machine built for pleasure. We narrowed the aspect ratio more than usual as Benoit reaches across the mat to grab the opposite rail but have kept the key characteristics of the RB-JMC to maintain that hovercraft feel. We have added a bungee to fit a leash and also used the same pool toy valve I fitted to a mat named Green & Blue which went down to Oz. The feedback on that valve is almost unnervingly positive so I had no qualms about fitting one into Tximista to make inflation/deflation easier with one hand. Tximista is a 70/70 super-free-breather with neg elastic rocker.

So why did Benoit pick the name Tximista? Because it's Basque for Lightning Bolt.

Nice.

Have fun Benoit! Hopefully we'll get to share some French waves one day.

Cheers

G

Nepenthe

This is a mat I've been really excited to build. Chris Cravey is a super talented surfer and mat rider hailing from Santa Cruz. You have almost certainly seen him in the Jack Coleman mat flick, Circum Vehicle. Check the opening few waves of Chris riding his VPT mat

Chris is also a very skilled surfboard shaper so knows what's what. I always love building mats for shapers/designers. They share my nerdy interest in all the hydrodynamics and technical aspects of design. They also ask the kind of questions that prompt reflection and new thinking as well as sniffing out bullshit so you have to be legit.

Anyway, on to the mat. Chris has gone for an RB-JMC 70/70 Super-free-Breather with neg rocker. Not really a surprise given his talents. Chris wants as much control in his hands as possible (including the decision to let go). We had a lengthy discussion around the scaling and tinkering which I'm fairly certain we have right. We shall see!

Chris has named his mat "Nepenthe" saying:

“As far as the name goes, it’s pretty hard to have a mat session and walk away without a smile. As I’ve ridden more of the lighter weight/free breather ones I’ve had these feelings on waves that no other surfcraft has offered and it’s totally consuming. Nepenthe is known as a mystical drug that wards off sorrow or pain and somehow thats stuck in my head lately so it seemed like a good fit. How can you think about anything when you’re blissed out of your mind flying across a wall of water on an air bag?”

— Chris Cravey

Perfectly put. What a name! I can't wait to see how Chris and Nepenthe get on. Chris has a trip on the horizon so let's see how they go.

And finally if you haven't, do watch Circum Vehicle on YouTube. And if you have, watch it again!

Cheers

G

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FEEDBACK - Sept 2023